Metaphors and their link to generational peer groups and popular culture in African youth languages

Bibliographic Data

ID21226872
AuthorsEllen Hurst (0000-0002-4596-8459, University of Cape Town, corresponding author), Fridah Kanana Erastus (0000-0001-5928-769X, Kenyatta University), Fridah Erastus Kanana (Kenyatta University)
Year2020
Volume6
Issues4
Publication date2020-12-31
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueLinguistics Vanguard (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2199-174X • E-ISSN: 2199-174X
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/lingvan-2019-0053
OpenAlexW3119427253
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited11

This article focuses on Sheng and Tsotsitaal metaphors in order to highlight the centrality of generational peer groups and popular culture in the formation of linguistic and social meaning within these language practices. Drawing on data from a comparative database, the analysis considers aspects such as generational narratives, the transition of a metaphor from a generational peer group context into a conventionalised metaphor, as well as multiple salience and ambiguity. We illustrate the use of metaphor in youth language and its relationship to popular culture, to make the case that youth language involves the innovation of new terms from popular culture. Metaphors are mini-narratives that index the particular culturally- and contextually-shared experiences of a generation of young people, and for this reason tend to be specific to a peer group. We therefore maintain that the term ‘youth language’ is useful because youth continue to drive the relexicalization process, which is the core of phenomena such as Sheng and Tsotsitaal

Ambiguity · Centrality · Cognitive psychology · Linguistics · Media studies · Metaphor · Narrative · Popular culture · Sociology · Youth culture · Gender Studies · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Multilingual Education and Policy · Psychology · Social Psychology

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